JCUA Condemns Trump’s DACA Decision

JCUA expresses outrage and condemnation of the executive order announced today that repeals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA was instituted by President Obama in reaction to years of failed immigration policy, giving many young people who had spent most of their lives in the U.S. legal protections and hope for the future.

We are a nation of immigrants. And as Jews, we are all immigrants. The young people protected by DACA are part of the fabric our communities and our country. Their story is the story of our people as well. We know what it is to be strangers. We know the hard work and extraordinary fortitude that is required to succeed as immigrants. And we know this: We must maintain this country’s long tradition, and the principles it was founded upon, as a welcoming country, a leader of nations, and a safe haven.

JCUA’s Executive Director, Judy Levey, says, “The assault on immigrants is a dangerous precedent and incompatible with both our core Jewish values, and our core American values. We need policies that do not tear families apart, that aren’t created out of hate and baseless fear, but that lift up our shared humanity.”

The young immigrants affected by DACA are the future of this country. We cannot turn our backs on them. We call for legislation action that provides protection for DACA immigrants and all those who come here seeking a better life for themselves and their families.